Returning coho, winter steelhead, and cutthroat make their way past the Indianola spit into Miller Bay and reach the Suquamish Tribe’s Grovers Creek Salmon Hatchery where Miller Bay Road meets Indianola Road. The staff manually passes the wild, sea-running fish over the hatchery dam so they can spawn upstream. The fish swim up Grovers Creek,…
October Stewardship Photo Essay
A huge thanks to the 50 or so volunteers who came out to the Port Gamble Forest Heritage Park waterfront on a very foggy October morning. Many thanks to REI for sponsoring the event and Kitsap County Parks, North Kitsap Trails Association, and Great Peninsula Conservancy staff for coordinating and bringing their tools and expertise.…
GPC-REI National Public Lands Stewardship Day
Great Peninsula Conservancy was excited to partner with REI again this year to host this National Public Lands Day Stewardship Event. This took place on the Peninsula’s new 3,500-acre piece of public land – Kitsap County’s Port Gamble Forest Heritage Park! Great Peninsula Conservancy, REI, Kitsap County Parks, Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance, North Kitsap Trails…
Powerful Partnership Video with Puget Sound Energy
GPC is working with Puget Sound Energy and their Powerful Partnership Program to help involve more people in conservation. Check out the video below to hear Executive Director Sandra Staples-Bortner discuss our partnership at the beautiful new Curley Creek Tyner Preserve! We toured the creek at the end of August as part of our Walks &…
Growing in Nature
This summer Great Peninsula Conservancy (GPC) piloted a new program called Bremerton Urban Roots, which created opportunities for young people in Bremerton to learn about the environment through hands-on service projects and outdoor environmental experiences. GPC partnered with the New Life Community Development Agency’s Living Life Leadership youth mentorship program, run by the incredible Karen…
The Return of the Salmon
Every year in early November tens of thousands of chum salmon return through the recently restored estuary into Chico Creek to spawn. And hundreds of Kitsap residents return to the stream to view the remarkable event! This year the weather was cold but clear and the salmon were easily viewable from the creek. Great Peninsula…
Hitting the Hansville Greenway Trails with ‘Urban Trails’ Author Craig Romano
A walk through wooded, well maintained and (well-marked) trails bring hikers to a sturdy observation platform overlooking wetlands protected by Great Peninsula Conservancy in the heart of Hansville Greenway. Look closely for a beaver lodge, wood ducks and river otters. This is the perfect place to observe a watershed at work, feeding clean water to…
Exploring Davis Family Farm
Just in time for September harvest, GPC members toured a working farm protected by GPC! Visitors to the farm began their tour with a brief history lesson about the Davis Family from farmer Ken VanBuskirk , which included the opportunity to view old family photos that Ken had laid out for viewing. Senses were heightened…
Revisiting the Petersen Farm Campaign
Silverdale’s Petersen Farm sits in the midst of the Clear Creek Valley. Its green fields, meandering Clear Creek, and wooded hillsides provide habitat for wildlife, ensure a year-round supply of clean water for salmon, and offer a pastoral landscape for passersby to enjoy. Its two original homesteads and c. 1902 barn have stories to tell…